By Louise Griffin

Published: Monday, 16 January 2023 at 12:00 am


**Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Last Of Us episode 1** 

It’s already premiered to rave reviews but HBO’s The Last Of Us is only just getting started.

The series, led by The Mandalorian‘s Pedro Pascal (Joel) and Game Of Thrones star Bella Ramsey (Ellie), is based on the wildly popular game of the same name, with fans eager to see how the story plays out on the small screen.

Music is a big part of the game, and it seems that’s translating to the series too, with the first episode featuring music from Gustavo Santaolalla, who wrote the score for The Last Of Us Part I and The Last Of Us Part II.

Read on for everything you need to know about the songs used in The Last Of Us.

The Last Of Us episode 1 soundtrack

What does the radio code in The Last Of Us mean?

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Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in The Last of Us.
Liane Hentscher/HBO

Ellie discovers Joel’s radio code when she finds a note in a book referring to Bill and Frank.

It establishes that a song from the 1960s played over the radio means ‘nothing in.’

A song from the 1970s played over the radio means ‘new stock’.

She later figures out that a song from the 1980s played over the radio means ‘trouble’ – so things aren’t looking good when the first episode ends with Depeche Mode’s ‘Never Let Me Down Again’ (which was released in 1987) playing.

The Last of Us game score